Rolling mill appliance



Jan. 12, 1937. .1.'A.'sM|TMANs ROLLING MILL APPLIANCE Filed Jul'y 11, 1935 Patented Jan.v l2, 1937 PATENT, OFFICE 2,067,508 ROLLING Miu. APPLIANCE John A. Smitmans, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to United Engineering & Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application .my 11, 1'935, serial No. 30,831

sciaims. (ci. so-se) This invention relates to rolling mills and more particularly to an improvement in filler blocks or spacing elements of the type used in the windows of the roll housings beneath the lower rollchucks 5 to determine the elevation of the pass-line of the mill.

Filler blocks of this character are used primarily to maintain the pass-line of the mill at a selected elevation, and are necessitated by the change in the diameter of the mill rolls when they are resurfaced or replaced, as they frequently are.

. In certain mills it is desirable and in some essential that the pass-line be maintained at all times at a selected elevation, and this is especially l5 true in continuous mills as well as ln various other mills in. which the stock-handling apparatus with which they are equipped is flXedly mounted. It

' has been the customary practice in the past to use separate filler blocks for this purpose and to position them individually below the lowerroll chucks in each of the housing windows. This has usually been done after the old setof rolls has been removed and before the new set is inserted,

by an operator 'climbing down into the pit, in

which the mill is located, and placing them, one

at a time, by hand in the housing windows. Because of the weight of such blocks, which is frequently quite considerable, and the inconveniences encountered in manipulating them in the mill pit,`

the job of installing and replacing them in this way has been one which is very undesirable as it is both difficult and laborious and, in addition, consumes considerabletime.

With this in mind, it is an object of this invention to provide a filler-block structure which can be'placed as a unit in and removed from the windows of both of the roll housings at the same time and by the same operation.

Another object is to provide a unitary ller- 40 block structure of this character which may be installed and replaced by the same apparatus that is used to change the mill rolls, and with which auxiliary Vller plates of varying thickness may be used to accurately determine the eleval tion of the pass-line.

These and various 'other objects, as well as the various other novel features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing, of which Fig. V1 is a sectional view of a mill having installed therein a filler block embodying the invention and showing in fulland dotted lines themanner in which it is removed from the roll housings by means of a roll-changing hook;

Fig. 2 a plan view of the ller block shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a view taken on the line III-DI of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 an elevational view of the hookengaging end of the filler-block frame; and Fig. 5 a similar view of the other end of the frame 5 showing an auxiliary ller plate and how it is attached to the frame.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I designates a rolling mill which is mounted in the usual pit 2 with its pass-line 3 disposed l0 'at a convenient working level above the oorend of this frame, and preferably the end opposite the driving spindles l0, there is provided a neck-like projection II vhaving an extremity IIa which is similar in shape to the end of the 25 mill rolls. This projection is adapted to extend beyond the face of the roll housing where it can be conveniently engaged by a roll hook I2 and lifted from and replaced in the roll housing in the same fashion as the rolls as shown in 30 full and dotted lines in Fig, 1. A roll hook of this character is customarily provided for installing'and replacing the rolls), and comprises a hook-like frame having a socket I3 at its lower end which ts over the end of the wabbler 35 connection 5a at the end of a roll and suitable means I4 at the upper end for connecting it to y a crane, not shown, that is used to move the vhook to and from the mill.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 5, 40 the filler-block frame 9, which is made as an integral unit, comprises essentially a pair of transversely disposed block sections I5 which iit directly beneath the lower roll chucks 1, a centaer spacing section I6 which separates the 45 chuck-engaging block sections I5, and the neck of the block sections I5 when the frame is out of the mill and are provided in varying thicknesses, being selected as to thickness for each Aroll change in accordance with the `diameters of the rolls. In this particular embodiment of the invention, to hold these auxiliary filler plates in position, although other means may be used for such purposes, the ller-block sections AI5 are each `provided in the upper surface thereof with a pair of spaced holes I8 and the auxiliary ller plates with cooperating pins I9 on their under sides which it in these holes.

' Another feature of the frame 9 is that it is provided on its under side, at the outer end of 'the two filler-block sections I5, with downwardly projecting, outwardly tapered guides 2| which are adapted to engage the outer edges of the roll housing and guide the frame 9 into position when it is placed in the housing. In addition, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5, the frame 9 may be also provided at the ends of the iiller-block sections I5 with downwardly A projecting ilanges 22 for holding the frame against lateral displacement in the housing windows, if the latter are developed in the bottoms thereof, as illustrated by dotted lines in the drawing, to receive such iianges.

When using such a filler-block unit all that it is necessary to do when the rolls are changed, in so far as the filler blocks are concerned, is to connect the roll hook I2 to the end IIa of the filler-block frame after the rolls are out of the mill, as indicated in Fig. 1, lift the frame out of the mill and up over the mill iioor where the workmen can easily replace the auxiliary ller plates I1 with ller plates of the proper thickness to accommodate the new' or resurfaced rolls which are to be placed in 'the mill, and then reposition such frame in the roll hous- Among the advantages of the invention is the provision of a filler-block unit which can be readily removed and replaced in the roll housing by a simple mechanical operation without necessitating a workman gettinginto the mill pit and with a minimum of eort and time, and, as will be readily appreciated, although the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a 2-high mill, it maybe used with any type of mill.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and construction of my invention, and have illustrated and described what I now consider to be its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and de- I claim:

1. A ller-block unit for use in the roll housings of a rolling mill beneath the chucks for the lower roll which comprises an integral frame provided with spaced -ller-block sections adapted to it under the roll chucks in both housings,

and provided with means at one end for rethe roll chucks in both housings and provided -with a neck at one end which extends beyond the outer face of the housing, and adapted to receive a roll-changing. tool.

3. A filler-block unit for use in the roll housings of a rolling mill beneath the roll chucks comprising a unitary frame which ts beneath the roll chucks in both housings and which is equipped with an end portion that projects beyond the face of one of the housings for receiving a tool for lifting the unit from and returning it to the housing, and detachable auxiliaryf'ller plates for engaging the roll chucks. l

4. A filler-block unit for use in the roll housings of a rolling mill beneath the chucks for the lower roll which comprises an integral frame provided on its upper side with spaced detachable ller plates for engaging the roll chucks at the two ends of a roll, at one end with means for receiving a tool for inserting it in and lifting it from the roll housings, and on its under side with guide. nanges to facilitate positioning it in the roll housings.

5. A iiller-block unit for use in the roll housings of a' rolling mill beneath the chucks for the lower roll which comprises an integral framel `oiE said ller-block sections.

JOHN A. SMITMANS. 

